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Ramalingam

Ramalingam Kalirajan  |9383 Answers  |Ask -

Mutual Funds, Financial Planning Expert - Answered on May 14, 2025

Ramalingam Kalirajan has over 23 years of experience in mutual funds and financial planning.
He has an MBA in finance from the University of Madras and is a certified financial planner.
He is the director and chief financial planner at Holistic Investment, a Chennai-based firm that offers financial planning and wealth management advice.... more
Rupam Question by Rupam on May 14, 2025
Money

I have invested in parag parikh flexi cap Rs 10000 HDFC flexi cap Rs 10000 Motilal Oswal.midcap Rs 2500 Nippon India midcap Rs 2500 HDFC midcap Rs 2500 Mirae asset NYSE fang plus Rs 2500 Pls review my mutual fund investment whether any modification required

Ans: Your mutual fund selection shows good diversification across flexi cap and midcap. NYSE FANG Plus adds global exposure. However, overlapping styles and sector risk may exist. For accurate scheme evaluation, please consult a Certified Financial Planner and Mutual Fund Distributor.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,

Chief Financial Planner,

www.holisticinvestment.in
https://www.youtube.com/@HolisticInvestment
DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information to be as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision.
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Ramalingam

Ramalingam Kalirajan  |9383 Answers  |Ask -

Mutual Funds, Financial Planning Expert - Answered on Apr 08, 2024

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Sir I am invested in Axis Long Term Eqty -Rs-225000/, Nippon Small Cap fund(Gr) -Rs 272000/-, Axis Small Cap- Rs98000/-, Tata Small Cap Rs 12500/-, Canara Rebeco Small Cap Rs 30000/-, Canara Reboco emerging Equities Rs-88000/-, Kotak Emerging Equities Rs 88,000/-, Kotak Multicap Rs4000/-, Bandhan Vision Rs 4000/-, ICICI Bluechip Fund Rs1,15,000/-, Miraeassets Emerging fund Rs1,80,000/-, Quant Active Fund Rs 24000/-, Franklin US Eqty Rs8500/-. Please rate my investments in mutual fund. Any changes you would suggest.
Ans: Your mutual fund portfolio appears to be well-diversified across various categories, including large-cap, small-cap, and multicap funds, as well as international equity funds. However, having such a large number of funds may lead to over-diversification and increased complexity in managing your portfolio.

Here are a few suggestions:

Consolidation: Consider consolidating your portfolio by reducing the number of funds to a more manageable level. You can achieve diversification with fewer funds by selecting well-performing funds with different investment styles and objectives.

Review Small Cap Exposure: Small-cap funds can be volatile and may carry higher risk. Ensure that your exposure to small-cap funds aligns with your risk tolerance and investment goals.

Monitor Performance: Regularly monitor the performance of your funds and compare them with their respective benchmarks and peers. Consider replacing underperforming funds with better alternatives.

Rebalance Regularly: Rebalance your portfolio periodically to maintain your desired asset allocation and risk profile. As market conditions change, certain asset classes may outperform others, leading to deviations from your target allocation.

Consider Tax Implications: Keep in mind the tax implications of selling funds, particularly if they have been held for a short duration. Consult with a tax advisor to minimize tax liabilities while making changes to your portfolio.

Overall, while your portfolio appears diversified, it's essential to periodically review and adjust it to ensure alignment with your investment objectives, risk tolerance, and market conditions. Consider seeking advice from a financial advisor to optimize your portfolio based on your specific financial goals and circumstances.

..Read more

Ramalingam

Ramalingam Kalirajan  |9383 Answers  |Ask -

Mutual Funds, Financial Planning Expert - Answered on Jun 18, 2024

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Thank you sir for your kind reply My mutual fund portfolio is as below Nifty50 index rs 15000 Parag parikh Flexi cap rs 15000 HDFC midcap rs. 15000 Quant small cap rs.15000 Icici bluchip rs 15000 Tata digital rs 15000 Quant active rs.12000 Motilal oswal Microsoft nifty 250 rs.3000 Could you kindly review and confirm if any changes on this
Ans: Your current mutual fund portfolio shows a thoughtful approach to diversifying your investments across various market caps and sectors. Here's a detailed review and analysis of each fund in your portfolio, along with recommendations for optimizing your investments:

Portfolio Review and Analysis
Nifty 50 Index Fund (Rs 15,000)

Index funds track the market, offering broad exposure with low costs.
However, index funds can underperform in volatile markets and lack flexibility.
Actively managed funds often outperform index funds through strategic stock selection.
Consider reducing exposure to the Nifty 50 Index and reallocating to actively managed funds.
Parag Parikh Flexi Cap Fund (Rs 15,000)

This fund is known for its flexible approach and solid track record.
It invests across market caps and sectors, providing good diversification.
Its active management can potentially yield higher returns than passive funds.
Keeping this fund is a good choice for long-term growth.
HDFC Midcap Opportunities Fund (Rs 15,000)

Midcap funds offer growth potential but come with higher volatility.
HDFC Midcap has a strong performance history and a robust management team.
Retaining this fund can help capitalize on the midcap growth potential.
Ensure it aligns with your risk tolerance and investment horizon.
Quant Small Cap Fund (Rs 15,000)

Small cap funds can deliver high returns but are also highly volatile.
Quant Small Cap has performed well but requires regular monitoring.
Maintaining a smaller allocation to this fund can be beneficial for higher returns.
Consider your risk appetite when investing in small caps.
ICICI Prudential Bluechip Fund (Rs 15,000)

Bluechip funds invest in large, stable companies with a consistent performance.
ICICI Bluechip is a reliable fund with a strong track record.
It provides stability and can anchor your portfolio during market downturns.
Keeping this fund can add stability and reduce overall portfolio risk.
Tata Digital India Fund (Rs 15,000)

Sector funds like Tata Digital focus on specific industries, offering high growth potential.
Digital and technology sectors are poised for long-term growth.
However, sector funds can be volatile and are riskier than diversified funds.
Retaining this fund can be beneficial, but monitor industry trends closely.
Quant Active Fund (Rs 12,000)

Actively managed funds aim to outperform the market through expert stock selection.
Quant Active has shown strong performance and dynamic management.
This fund can add value to your portfolio through active management.
Continue investing in this fund for potential higher returns.
Motilal Oswal Nasdaq 100 Fund of Fund (Rs 3,000)

This fund invests in global tech giants, offering international diversification.
Exposure to the Nasdaq 100 can enhance growth, but it comes with higher risk.
International funds can protect against domestic market volatility.
Maintaining a small allocation in this fund is a smart diversification strategy.
Recommendations for Optimization
Reduce Index Fund Exposure: Shift some investment from the Nifty 50 Index Fund to actively managed funds to leverage expert stock selection and potentially higher returns.

Diversify with Actively Managed Funds: Actively managed funds can outperform index funds, especially in volatile markets. Consider reallocating some investments to funds with strong management teams and consistent performance.

Evaluate Risk and Goals: Ensure your investments align with your risk tolerance and financial goals. Small cap and sector funds can be volatile; adjust allocations based on your comfort with risk.

Regular Monitoring and Rebalancing: Regularly review your portfolio and rebalance as needed to maintain your desired asset allocation. Stay informed about market trends and fund performance.

Final Insights
Your mutual fund portfolio is well-diversified across various market caps and sectors, reflecting a balanced investment strategy. By reducing your exposure to index funds and increasing allocations to actively managed funds, you can potentially enhance returns and better manage risk. Regular monitoring and rebalancing will ensure your investments remain aligned with your financial goals and risk tolerance.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,

Chief Financial Planner,

www.holisticinvestment.in

..Read more

Ramalingam

Ramalingam Kalirajan  |9383 Answers  |Ask -

Mutual Funds, Financial Planning Expert - Answered on Oct 24, 2024

Asked by Anonymous - Oct 15, 2024Hindi
Money
Hi Ramalingam sir, I request you to kindly review my mutual fund investment : 1. Motilal Oswal Midcap Fund Rs 2500pm 2. Quant mid fund Rs 1500pm 3. ICICI prudential Bharat 22 fof Rs 1500pm 4. Nippon India large cap fund Rs 3000pm 5. JM flexi cap fund Rs 3000pm 6. Quant small cap fund Rs 3000pm 7. Tata nifty200 alpha30 index fund Rs 500pm All of them being direct plans Total amount invested Rs 15000pm
Ans: Your decision to invest Rs 15,000 per month in mutual funds is a great step toward building wealth. However, there are a few points to consider to ensure you are optimizing your investments and achieving your financial goals.

Let’s review your portfolio in detail:

Portfolio Overview
Motilal Oswal Midcap Fund – Rs 2,500 per month
Quant Mid Cap Fund – Rs 1,500 per month
ICICI Prudential Bharat 22 FOF – Rs 1,500 per month
Nippon India Large Cap Fund – Rs 3,000 per month
JM Flexi Cap Fund – Rs 3,000 per month
Quant Small Cap Fund – Rs 3,000 per month
Tata Nifty 200 Alpha 30 Index Fund – Rs 500 per month
These investments total Rs 15,000 per month, and it’s commendable that you have allocated funds across various categories, including large-cap, mid-cap, small-cap, and sector-specific funds. However, there are key areas to evaluate to help you optimize returns and manage risks.

Disadvantages of Direct Funds
Since you are investing in direct plans, it's important to be aware of a few limitations:

No Financial Guidance: Direct plans do not come with any personalized advice from a Certified Financial Planner. This could mean missing out on crucial insights and market trends that could boost your returns.

Lack of Market Knowledge: If you're not constantly tracking markets, you may miss out on strategic shifts. A professional fund distributor can guide you to take timely actions.

Overlooking Tax Efficiency: Direct plans do not provide any tax-efficient strategies. An expert's input can help minimize tax liabilities and maximize post-tax returns.

Given these limitations, I would recommend switching to regular funds through a Mutual Fund Distributor (MFD) with a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) credential. This will ensure professional guidance and better long-term returns.

Disadvantages of Index Funds
Your portfolio includes an index fund (Tata Nifty 200 Alpha 30 Index Fund). While index funds have low expense ratios, they come with their own set of challenges:

Lack of Flexibility: Index funds cannot adjust to changing market conditions. In a volatile market, this can result in lower returns compared to actively managed funds.

No Market Timing: An index fund simply follows the index, regardless of individual stock performance. Active funds, on the other hand, can exit underperforming stocks and reinvest in better opportunities.

For these reasons, I recommend focusing more on actively managed funds, where fund managers can provide better growth potential by actively selecting stocks and rebalancing portfolios based on market conditions.

Analysis of Your Current Mutual Funds
Now, let's analyze your specific fund choices and provide suggestions on how to refine your portfolio:

1. Motilal Oswal Midcap Fund – Rs 2,500 per month
Analysis: Midcap funds can offer higher returns than large-cap funds, but they also come with higher risk. Since you already have a significant allocation in midcaps, ensure that your risk appetite aligns with this investment.
2. Quant Mid Cap Fund – Rs 1,500 per month
Analysis: This is another midcap fund, and you are currently allocating Rs 4,000 in total toward midcaps (Motilal Oswal Midcap Fund and Quant Mid Cap Fund). While midcaps provide good growth potential, it’s essential to maintain a balanced portfolio by adding other asset classes.
3. ICICI Prudential Bharat 22 FOF – Rs 1,500 per month
Analysis: Bharat 22 FOF is a thematic fund that invests in public sector companies. While these funds can perform well during certain periods, they come with high concentration risk. If you are investing for long-term wealth creation, it might be wise to diversify your allocation rather than relying on sector-specific funds.
4. Nippon India Large Cap Fund – Rs 3,000 per month
Analysis: Large-cap funds provide stability and steady growth. Nippon India Large Cap Fund is a good choice for balancing your overall portfolio risk. Large-cap funds are essential for a well-rounded portfolio as they offer lower volatility than mid and small caps.
5. JM Flexi Cap Fund – Rs 3,000 per month
Analysis: Flexi-cap funds invest in large, mid, and small-cap companies, offering diversification. This fund could help reduce the risk in your portfolio, as it can invest across market capitalizations based on market conditions.
6. Quant Small Cap Fund – Rs 3,000 per month
Analysis: Small-cap funds can provide high returns, but they also come with the highest risk. While it's good to have some exposure to small caps, ensure you are not overly exposed to this segment.
7. Tata Nifty 200 Alpha 30 Index Fund – Rs 500 per month
Analysis: As discussed earlier, index funds have limitations, and I recommend shifting this amount to an actively managed fund for better growth potential and flexibility.
Areas of Improvement and Suggestions
Overlapping Funds: Your portfolio has an overlap in the midcap space (Motilal Oswal Midcap Fund and Quant Mid Cap Fund). While it's good to diversify, having too many funds from the same category can lead to duplication and reduce your overall returns. You could consolidate your midcap exposure into one well-performing fund.

Balanced Risk: You have allocated a significant portion of your portfolio to mid and small-cap funds, which are higher risk. To balance this, consider increasing your investment in large-cap or flexi-cap funds, which provide more stability and lower risk.

Reduce Sector-Specific Exposure: ICICI Prudential Bharat 22 FOF is a thematic fund with a high concentration in public sector companies. It might be a good idea to reduce your exposure to sector-specific funds and invest in diversified equity funds instead.

Increase Flexi Cap Allocation: Flexi-cap funds provide diversification across market capitalizations. By increasing your allocation to JM Flexi Cap Fund, you can better balance the risk and returns in your portfolio.

Reconsider Index Fund: Since index funds lack flexibility, I recommend shifting the Rs 500 currently allocated to Tata Nifty 200 Alpha 30 Index Fund to an actively managed large or flexi-cap fund. This will help you achieve better returns over the long term.

Tax Considerations
When selling equity mutual funds:

Long-Term Capital Gains (LTCG): Gains above Rs 1.25 lakh are taxed at 12.5%.

Short-Term Capital Gains (STCG): Gains made within three years are taxed at 20%.

Keep these tax rules in mind when planning to exit or rebalance your portfolio, as taxes can impact your overall returns.

Final Insights
Your mutual fund portfolio is a good start, but it requires some fine-tuning to optimize growth and manage risks better. Consolidating your midcap exposure, reducing sector-specific funds, and avoiding index funds can help you achieve more balanced growth. Shifting to regular funds through a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) can also provide expert guidance to further optimize your investments.

By following these adjustments and maintaining a disciplined investment approach, your portfolio can deliver strong returns over the long term.

Best Regards,

K. Ramalingam, MBA, CFP,

Chief Financial Planner,

www.holisticinvestment.in
https://www.youtube.com/@HolisticInvestment

..Read more

Latest Questions
Adarsh

Adarsh Rai  |12 Answers  |Ask -

HR, Leadership coach - Answered on Jul 03, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Jun 11, 2025Hindi
Career
Hi. I am currently 29. Married with no kids. Wife not earning. Planning for a kid this year. Monthly earning 60k post tax. Have savings of 2 lakhs. Have personal loan of 9 lakhs. Monthly expenses 40k including emi's. I have lost interest in job and I don't want to work anymore. I want to do business which can give monthly 50 to 60k income. Max I can invest 2lakhs. Is there any business which I can start with 2 lakhs and generate monthly income of 60k ? I am frustrated with working under an employer. I want to start my own venture. Please suggest.
Ans: Spandan, pause before you mail the resignation.

Your maths
60 k take-home
40 k spends (15 k of that is EMI on a 9 L loan)
→ 20 k buffer

A newborn will nudge monthly costs up by 8-10 k. Cash cushion shrinks fast.

So the plan must earn while you learn, not leap blind.

Keep the paycheck six more months.
Use evenings to test micro-ideas. Risk stays capped at ?0 for now.

Choose a “cash-this-month” niche, not a moon-shot.
Pick work that turns inventory ≤ ?50 k into sales inside 30 days.

Tiffin + office snacks (two dishes, 40 boxes) - ?25 k utensils, ?10 k FSSAI, ?5 k flyers - ?120 per box × 40 = ?4.8 k /day

Amazon / Flipkart reselling (phone cases, cables) ?40 k stock, ?15 k ads 25 % net margin on ?2 L monthly sales = ?50 k

Weekend print-on-demand & personalised gifting kiosk ?45 k heat-press kit (other options are there too) ?300 profit per mug × 200 pcs → ?60 k Bring Your Mug - Take Away Memories.

Local social-media management for clinics & salons ?0 gear, ?3 k Canva Pro ?8 k-?12 k per client; 6 clients hit target

None need heavy staff or rent. All can run beside your day job.

Set one simple goal: ?15 k profit by Day-30.
Hit it twice, raise target to ?35 k. Only when side income beats salary three months straight do you quit.

This is critical - Plug leaks early. Refinance personal loan to longer tenor; shave EMI to ~?10 k.

Park 1 L of savings in an emergency account—no touch.Skill up tiny, daily.
Watch a YouTube on ad copy, take a WhatsApp course on GST filings. Low cost, immediate payback.

Start small, sell fast, reinvest every rupee. Freedom comes, but by steps, not by one loud jump.

...Read more

Adarsh

Adarsh Rai  |12 Answers  |Ask -

HR, Leadership coach - Answered on Jul 03, 2025

Career
Hello Sir ,spandan here can you please tell me which fields will be good path for me, i want to join indian army after getting a bachelors degree but i also want to get a good course in engineering. And to improve my skills i wanted to choose a niche to select like Data science,cyber security,block chain and UX/UI. Can you tell me which is a better option
Ans: Spandhan - the Indian Army of 2030: satellites humming, networks under attack, swarms of sensors feeding dashboards in a forward command post. Officers who understand code, data flows, and signal security steer that fight.

Two decisions shape your path
The bachelor’s branch you choose (for campus learning and placements).

The Army entry gate you target after graduation.

Pick a branch that helps both goals: B.Tech CSE with a Cyber-Security or AI/Data-Science minor

Specialised B.Tech Cyber Security | Blockchain / UX-UI tracks| B.Tech ECE (electronics) with electives in embedded & comms

Go CSE (or ECE) and stack cyber-security / data-science electives. That mix lines up with Army tech entries and the private market.

Know your post-degree entry doors

TGC / SSC-Tech 20-27 Age B.E./B.Tech in listed branches inc. CSE, IT, ECE Signals, EME, Engineers

CDS – IMA/OTA 19-25 Any bachelor’s, tougher written + SSB All arms; tech grads often posted Signals

Agniveer (Technical) 17.5-21 10+2/ITI, but engineering diploma grads gain edgeKeep your CGPA ≥ 7, build fitness early, aim for NCC ‘C’ (bonus marks at SSB).Pick cyber-security as primary, add AI/data electives. You’ll be useful whether you wear olive greens or a hoodie.

Keep the plan simple: CSE + Cyber/AI → TGC/SSC-Tech → Corps of Signals.
Even if you later choose the corporate highway, those same skills pay handsomely.

...Read more

DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related document carefully before investing. The securities quoted are for illustration only and are not recommendatory. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information and as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision. RediffGURUS is an intermediary as per India's Information Technology Act.

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